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The US leader announced on Wednesday night that he had signed the legislation overwhelmingly passed by Congress members that instructs the federal justice agency to disclose more files concerning Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender.

This decision comes after months of opposition from the leader and his supporters in the House and Senate that divided his political supporters and created rifts with certain loyal followers.

Donald Trump had opposed disclosing the Epstein files, describing the situation a "fabrication" and criticizing those who wanted to make the documents public, notwithstanding promising their release on the campaign trail.

But he reversed course in the last week after it became apparent the House would approve the legislation. The president commented: "We have nothing to hide".

It's not clear what the department will release in following the bill – the legislation details a range of potential items that need to be disclosed, but includes exemptions for some materials.

The President Signs Bill to Require Publication of Additional Jeffrey Epstein Files

The measure requires the attorney general to make public related documents publicly available "in a searchable and downloadable format", including each examination into Epstein, his associate Maxwell, aircraft records and journey documentation, people mentioned or identified in association with his illegal activities, entities that were linked to his trafficking or economic systems, protection agreements and other plea agreements, official correspondence about legal actions, evidence of his confinement and death, and particulars about any file deletions.

The justice department will have 30 days to turn over the files. The legislation provides for certain exemptions, encompassing removals of victims' identifying information or private records, any depictions of child sexual abuse, disclosures that would endanger current examinations or prosecutions and depictions of death or abuse.

Additional Recent Developments

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